1882.] TRANSACTIONS. 39 



His death occurred on the evening of A.pril 5th, A. D. 1882. 



Alexander Hamilton Bullock was familiarly and best known 

 to this coinmunity as an able statesman, an accomplished scholar, 

 — an eloquent Orator. Shall we therefore forget that he was 

 our President, from A. D. 1860, to 1863, or until the exacting 

 demands of a wider public service left him but little leisure for 

 quieter and more attractive occupations. But, while enjoying 

 public life, with its legitimate honors ; our friend shrank, with 

 almost feminine nervousness, from the trickery and venality of 

 demagoguism, that, latterly, have grown to be almost indispen- 

 sable to success in politics. An anecdote might be told in this 

 connection, by way of illustration ; yet, as it would be about as 

 broad as long, your ears are spared, in deference to the presence 

 of ladies, whose rights I suppose that I am now bound, as a 

 Democrat, to concede. While his time was his own, you could 

 command his services : unable to be in two places, at once, he 

 recognized that his proper post was on Beacon Hill. His 

 interest, especially in Pomology, was not suffered to abate on any 

 such account : as his contributions to our Exhibitions, and 

 frequent conversations with your Secretary^ bore ample and 

 adequate evidence. 



He had rare enjoyment of a good joke which, if it was at his 

 own expense, suffered nothing in the relation. I well remember 

 one that orave him o-reat relish and which was told with unction. 

 Col. Bullock (his title then related to the staff, to whose command- 

 in-chief a grateful people soon accorded promotion) ; had been 

 greatly puzzled, perhaps provoked, by the long time consumed 

 by some of his Pears, before the trees came into bearing. He 

 finally called into council one of our veteran Pomologists ; — a 

 gentleman from Shrewsbury', whose worship of Ceres and 

 Pomona was equalled only by his idolatry of the late Charles 

 Allen ; and, pointing out a tree which had continued barren for 

 some fifteen years, asked, innocently enough, — ' With lohat 

 variety too uld you graft thatf 'Regarding the tree and then 

 myself ' said the Colonel, 'he uplifted both hands and exclaiming 

 in tones of pious horror,' — " What ! graft the Bosc ! " retreated 

 in comparative good order, but somewhat demoralized by the 

 unwonted ordeal, upon his native town. "For a long time, — " 



